Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative Gets Florida Court Approval

Florida voters will decide in November whether to legalize medical marijuana after the state Supreme Court on Monday approved an initiative to put the measure on the ballot.

Florida's Republican Party leadership had opposed the wording of the ballot measure, saying it was too vague and misleading and that it would allow almost anyone to obtain marijuana for the slightest medical complaint.

In a 4-3 ruling on Monday, the state Supreme Court said "the initiative petition and ballot title and summary satisfy the legal requirements ... for placement on the ballot."

If the petition is approved by 60 percent of voters in November, Florida would become the first Southern U.S. state to approve marijuana for medical use, joining 20 other states.

A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey late last year showed 82 percent public support for the amendment if it was put on the ballot. A constitutional amendment in Florida requires 60 percent voter approval for adoption.

The petition last week surpassed the 683,000 certified signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot, and also crossed the minimum signature threshold in at least 14 congressional districts, as required by law.